Merfolk and Maelstroms By Luna Scamander
by KeepSmiling1
Summary: Bad weather has been blamed on magical creatures for centuries, but the worst maelstroms experienced by merfolk can be almost exclusively blamed on wizards. Written for the Houses Competition Year 6


A/N House/Team: Badgers. Class Subject: Charms. Story Category: Drabble. Prompt:[Weather] Maelstroms. Word Count: 965

Merfolk and Maelstroms  
By  
Luna Scamander

Throughout history, wizards have blamed their bad weather on creatures. Merfolk especially have been blamed by seafaring communities. To be fair, sirens do take advantage of storms to pass on messages…their eerie songs traveling to the clouds where they are eventually dropped on the surface of siren villages hundreds of kilometers away. That was how Merchieftainess Greentail gathered an army to fight against Viking pillagers who used gillyweed to raid their homes and steal their young.

Those are the sirens though. Selkies and merrow merfolk know that the truly destructive storms don't come from their kind. No, they come from the wizards themselves. A little rain only serves to keep the ponds and rivers in which they live healthy. When wizards choose to create a maelstrom, however, the damage is immense. The tossing and turning of waves from an unnatural source can harm the ecosystems hidden beneath the surface of the water. Whirlpools and strange flashes ten times brighter than any lightning source can injure and blind those caught unaware. Those unlucky enough to be touched by the beams often suffer the effects until they move on to the Great Sea. For selkies and merrow, all the worst storms can be blamed on the wizards.

The Selkies of the Great Lake in Scotland had suffered through many magically induced maelstroms and catastrophes throughout the years. The great stone dwelling place just beyond their lake's borders was home to many wizards who seemed incapable of comprehending the consequences of their careless actions. Whereas the Selkies of the Great Lake taught their youth that "an ill-thought swish of the fin will cause ripples of trouble long after it's forgotten", wizards seemed to lack such cautions for their youth. For many tide cycles, elders from the stone dwelling would take their youth to the edge of the lake with the seeming intent of creating the largest waves possible with their sticks. Many, too many, died from the wounds caused by those beams of light, and the seaweed grown to supplement their diet could not grow strong with the frequent changes of light underneath the waves. Their village was at the brink of destruction when a young snake discovered their plight and told one of the elder wizards. That wizard was good and visited their world frequently using a plant called gillyweed. Trust was rebuilt, and for a time, students from the dwelling place - Hogwarts - began visiting as well to learn of their culture. That ended when the good wizard was cast out of Hogwarts though thankfully spell casting classes remained inside the stone walls after that. Youth still cast spells into their waters from time to time, but not with the horrifying regularity or intensity seen when the castle had first been built.

Time passed...seasons of peace reigned interspersed with traumatic times of war. Though the selkies did not involve themselves with wizarding wars, battles near their home always left a mark. Thrice, wizards engaged in battle against a shorter race of land dwellers. The shorter race fought with swords and spears, instruments of battle that did not harm their home. Spells that missed their target, however, wreaked havoc underneath the frantic waves. Dead bodies painted the once beautiful waters and poisoned the very young and very old lives within. It was many generations before the scars and mutations that resulted from that terrifying time were only a memory on their community's history.

Peace continued; a "headmaster" of the school named Albus asked for their help in a competition. One of the contestants stood out for his use of gillyweed much like the good wizard who stopped the systematic maelstrom-creating lessons. He was brave and sought to save all that he could. The Merchieftainess found herself admiring the morals of the wizard and sought to explain the situation to Albus after the competition ended.

Not long after, Albus forewarned the Selkies of the Great Lake that war might soon be coming to Hogwarts. He was unfortunately correct, and soon after he passed, a maelstrom of epic proportions was felt in their waters. The bright lights signifying spells seemed to never end, and the waters seemed to freeze unnaturally as shadow figures could be seen flying overhead. Terror and extreme sadness was felt by all even after those beings left the vicinity of the Great Lake. Huge creatures shook the lake with their steps further stirring up the waters already plagued by spells. Bodies once again coated the surface of the lake, their blood poisoning the water.

The damage done by that maelstrom had the potential to be as bad or worse than any in the Great Lake's history for all that the actual maelstrom lasted less than a day. A few days after the maelstrom, however, a young witch with hair like the sun dove into the waters using gillyweed. She brought a strange food that helped the selkies to shake off the emotional upheaval caused by the frequent exposure to the shadow creatures. She brought treatments that she had learned of at other lakes to help them heal their injuries. Most vital of all, however, was a spell she cast at the waters when she returned to the surface after her third dose of gillyweed ran out. Rather than cause harm, her spell purified the waters from the damage done by the blood of land dwellers. Though selkies normally do not pass on messages by storm like their siren cousins, this was deemed a worthy cause. A week after The Maelstrom, they sang of the kindness and caring shown by the sun-haired witch.

When Luna Lovegood chose to traverse the world in search of new creatures, she did so knowing that her welcome was ensured in the communities of merfolk.


End file.
